One step at a time

Not too long ago I read an article entitled, “Are you ready for children” and one of the “tests” was the physical test -

“Obtain a large beanbag chair and attach it to the front of your clothes.  Leave it there for 9 months.  Now remove 10 of the beans.”

What’s funniest about this scenario is how sadly true it is.

This is what led me to my 2012 goal of losing weight.  At first I set out on my own to reduce the amount of soda I drank and to attempt to exercise.  But, like many other goals on my list to accomplish, this one quickly came to a grinding halt. 

 

Thankfully, that’s not the end of my 2012 goal.  God knew I could not reach my goal on my own power so He strategically placed me in a small group of women to work through the book Made to Crave.  The book and my accountability partner have made my weight loss goal an obtainable one.

 

At first this journey seemed to be such a struggle for me.  I had given up soda completely, began exercising and eating right but my body just didn’t want to give up any of the extra pounds.  In a fit of anger and frustration I ended up destroying our useless scale and ridding myself of the last of the soda left in our house. 

~I do want to interject right here because I know some of you are freaking out right now, “Why on earth did you have to put a knife through the glorious, delicious Pepsi?” Well, here’s why I had to destroy it instead of just giving it to someone. 

There’s a story in Scripture where Jesus tells a young, rich man that unless he is able to give up all he owns he can not enter the Kingdom of Heaven.  Let me clarify, this is not saying that unless we sell all our possessions and live poor lives we won’t go to Heaven.  What it’s saying is that you need to be able and willing to give up the things in your life you are holding onto and are unwilling to give up – even for God. 

What is the first commandment?  You shall have no other gods before me.  If there is something in your life that you are unwilling to let go of, you may want to evaluate if it’s an idol in your life.  Something you are putting before God. 

I know this may seem drastic and you may be saying to yourself, “I don’t have other gods in my life” but I would caution you, if you have something - food, a certain drink, a possession, or even an emotional attachment to money - that you are completely unwilling to let go in your life, then take some time to really pray about it. 

Pepsi was my idol. Pepsi had become part of my identity to the point where I just could not let it go.  I knew it wasn’t good for my health and that I would be better off without it, but the attachment was so great I was unwilling to completely get rid of it. 

That’s why I had to destroy the Pepsi.  I didn’t want to be like the young, rich man.  I wanted to be able to put God’s temple (my body) before the soda which meant I needed to completely destroy the temptation. ~

I can not tell you how freeing it was for me to completely release myself from the temptation of soda and the temptation of obsessing over the scale each day.

I have been working extremely hard the past 10 weeks and, although my journey is far from over, I have great news to announce…..

 

I HAVE LOST 10 POUNDS!!!!!!

 

It’s a great feeling to finally begin to see the progress I’ve been working so hard for and I’m certainly not at my goal but I count this as a success. 

One last thought before I close - A few weeks ago while I was having some quiet time with God, I was reminded of the value of my body.  My body is God’s temple.  He created me exactly the way He wanted and made me extremely special.  But I had taken the body He created and I filled it with unhealthy things and allowed myself to get out of shape.  It’s like if I made something special for my kids and they took it for granted and ended up destroying it.  In a sense, that’s what I did.  To think of my body as something valuable that God took precious thought and time to create, gives me the motivation to take care of it.  I hope it gives you the motivation to take special care of the gift God has also given you.

HE HAS RISEN!!!

“On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb.  They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.  While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightening stood beside them.  In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead?  He is not here; he has risen!”  (Luke 24: 1-5)

This story should bring a smile, joy, goose bumps, absolute exhilaration!!   Our Jesus is alive!!! 

This morning when I let our dog outside I just wanted to scream at the top of my lungs to our entire neighborhood, “JESUS IS ALIVE!!  HE HAS RISEN!!!!”   As an adult I feel like I appreciate Easter more now than as a kid.  But then again, as my relationship with Christ deepens, I am more and more appreciative of the magnitude of the resurrection. 

We are all sinners and if Jesus had not come to take our place, we would all be destined for eternal suffering.  There’s just no way around it.  But God humbled Himself to take the form of a man, walk this Earth and ultimately suffer and die on a cross.  The spotless lamb took every sin upon Himself and became the blood atonement for our sins.  It should have been us on that cross.  It should have been us to suffer and die but Jesus did it for us.

But the story of Easter is partly about the death and more about His resurrection.  You see, if Jesus would have just stayed in the tomb then the God we serve would be no different than the other gods of this world.  But our God is not like any others.  Our God is the one and only.  Our God is the Way, the Truth and the Life.  Our God is ALIVE!!! 

REJOICE!!!!  We serve a risen God.  He did not stay in the tomb.  Instead, He fulfilled the prophesy and rose three days later. 

HE HAS RISEN!

HE HAS RISEN INDEED!

The battle of Green Beans!

Green beans are a staple in my household.  I’m not a fan of peas, cooked carrots are disgusting, raw carrots just don’t satisfy the desire for something warm on my dinner plate, and corn has too many carbs.  This leaves green beans. 

If I had my way, I would live right next door to my grandpa who has an extremely beautiful garden, which includes fresh green beans right on the vine.  One of my favorite things is picking the green beans, snapping off the end and enjoying the deliciousness of a freshly picked, squeaky bean.  But since I’m currently a couple hundred miles away from those ripe, yummy veggies, I have to settle for canned or frozen. 

My kids generally like fruits and veggies and will clean those off their plate first.  Only on one occasion did I catch my daughter trying to feed her green beans to our dog….. along with her peanut butter and jelly sandwich. 

Our youngest, I have recently discovered, is not such a fan of the green bean.  After putting a spoonful on her highchair tray the other day, she proceeded to ignore them completely.  I saw this and tried to hand-feed her one but once the bean entered her mouth her eyes squeezed shut, hands in tight fists and the screaming and crying ensued.  What was going on here?!  I tried again, but when I got the bean close to her she immediately started turning her head and loudly exclaimed her dislike of the situation.

It wasn’t until I grabbed the camera (because that’s just the kind of mom I am….. the kind who grabs the camera to capture these unconventional photo opportunities) that she stopped her screaming and smiled.  Only then would she finish eating the green bean which was left sitting her mouth. 

I got into a rhythm of getting a bean into her mouth and then holding up the camera while she posed and chewed.  In all, we managed to eat about 5 green beans that day.  But it wasn’t without a fight.  

 

When our happy gets confused

As I have mentioned in previous posts, I have been working through the book Made To Crave.  Let me tell you, this book is good on so many levels.  It’s not just about replacing your cravings for food by learning to crave Christ.  It’s more about stripping away the things in our life we use to hide behind so we don’t have to deal with our true struggles. 

One thing I want to share is the concept of what we tie our happy to.  How many times have we thought something like,

“I’ll be happy once I reach a certain wealth.”

“I’ll be happy once I can fit into that particular size”

“I’ll be happy once I find that certain someone”

“I’ll be happy once I get that dream job”

The list is endless!!  It may not even be something we are conscious about yet we can almost always identify those areas in our life we think of as less-than-desirable and then rationalize it as “but I’ll be happy with it when….”

“I hate my body now and it depresses me to look in the mirror, but I’ll be happy once I’m a size 8”

“It depresses me that I’m broke all the time.  Nothing seems to work out and I’m constantly worrying about money.  I’ll be happy once I can have more money"

“I hate being single and on my own.  I’ll be happy once I can get married”

Don’t we all do this at one point or another?  But here’s something to think about.  Now listen up!!  Do I have your attention?  Here it is….

If your happy is missing now, in your current situation, your happy will still be missing when you achieve what it is you’ve been pining for.

Did you understand that?!  Let me say it again just in case you missed it.

If your happy is missing now, in your current situation, your happy will still be missing even when you achieve what it is you’ve been pining for.

WOW!!!  It’s true!  God has placed each and every one of us right where He wants us.  If that is the case, perhaps instead of constantly complaining, being depressed, and/or wishing for something else, maybe we should grasp the challenge He has set before you – to learn acceptance, patience and contentment. 

Here are some words from Isaiah 55:8-12

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord.

“As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.

As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.

You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace.”

On the back of this passage comes another….

“As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you.  Now remain in my love.  If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain in his love.  I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.  My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. (John 15:9-12)

Did you catch that?  “So your joy can be complete” We are not supposed to tie our happy to the things and relationships of this world.  We are supposed to tie our happy to Jesus so He can bring fulfillment to our lives and so our joy may be complete. 

It doesn’t matter if you are wearing the exact size you want, or if you make the amount of money you want, or live in the house you want, or have the husband and number of kids you want,  or have the job you want.  These are not the things that will make you happy.  If these are what we are tying our happy to then we will not experience true joy and happiness.  It is only through Christ that we may have lasting joy. 

Here’s my challenge to you – look at your life right now.  Really look at it!  If there are areas that make you depressed, anxious, worrisome, unhappy and unfulfilled, I challenge you to ask yourself, “am I tying my happy to this?” Remember that only Christ can bring pure happiness and fulfillment.